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tectonics

Field of geology devoted to tectonic processes

Also known as geotectonics

Instance of: branch of geology
Subclass of: dynamic geology
Part of: geology

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Plate tectonics is the scientific theory that Earth's lithosphere comprises a number of large tectonic plates, which have been slowly moving since 3–4 billion years ago. The model builds on the concept of continental drift, an idea developed during the first decades of the 20th century. Plate tectonics came to be accepted by geoscientists after seafloor spreading was validated in the mid- to late 1960s. The processes that result in plates and shape Earth's crust are called tectonics.

Overview

All data

24 statements · 17% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Is the study of: tectonics
Different from: tectonics
Tectonics (architecture)
Practiced by: tectonician

On other databases

18 identifiers linking tectonics across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

17%

externally sourced

Source last edited November 10, 2026. AIDb refreshes this page daily.

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AIDb. (2026). tectonics (Q78125729). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/tectonics-Q78125729